//------------------------------// // Gaining Insight // Story: Welcome To The 'Verse // by Jinxed //------------------------------// “No, that’ll rustle ‘em much worse, can't deal with Three Hills.” Mal shook his head, placing his hands on his hips and giving an annoyed grunt. Badger had stiffed them and wouldn't take the black-box they'd lifted due to the heat from the feds. The second they'd broken atmo the cortex had flared to life with bulletins on a Firefly-class vessel having stolen important top-secret assets belonging to the Alliance.  Worse was that Badger still wanted back the odd little newtech hack-device they'd used to get into the bank, which meant they'd have to go back to Persephone just for that alone. Personally, Mal considered the gizmo to be a small up-front payment for being snubbed for the umpteenth time. Badger wouldn't be happy about it, but he'd settle down and ask for them again to work at some point, they were the only crew brave ─or possibly stupid─ enough to take on the hardest of jobs Badger threw out for the pay he commonly offered. As infuriating as he was, at least Badger had waved them the news this time instead of waiting until they'd gotten back to him. Mal was annoyed more than angry because he'd honestly been expecting something like this, but as usual they were brainstorming on the next plan of action.  He perked up again as he spoke to Wash and Zoë.  “The way I see it, our best option here is to go to Fanty and Mingo,” he nodded, rolling the points off his fingers. “They’re still running strong after most of our contacts got torched, they got connections an’ can get this unregistered paper completed and circulatin’ in days, an' it's likely that they aint gonna give us trouble. They might take a smaller cut too, considerin’ they took all the money back on that previous bank job we did for 'em. I've been meanin' to talk with ‘em about that, just aint had the time." “Don’t you think they’re still sore about their bar?” Wash wondered, tapping the console in front of him. “River did a number on their customers too, we might be barred entry.” “After what we revealed to the ‘Verse?” Mal scoffed, regarding him. “Might have given us all manner of unpleasantness but it did also open a lot of doors. The respect we get might be a bit unwarranted at times, though I aint denyin' it aint helpful in situations such as ours. No, I think they’ll play nice considerin’ all the facts, and not that they’re the type but they aint likely to slip a knife between our ribs when we aint lookin’,” Mal nodded, pointing to the console at a small blip representing their planet. “It’s the best option. It’ll pay something, we can clear the air, an’ then we can rub it in Badger's face. Much as I don’t mind that we’ve been helpin’ folk in need, we’ve been gettin’ an’ awful lot of nothin’ to show for it, or we get odd trinkets we can’t use nor sell.” “So, Beaumonde then, sir?” Zoë asked, folding her arms with a sure look. “Beaumonde.” Mal nodded, looking at Wash, who spun his chair about. “Alright, Captain, we’ll be on our way in a few,” Wash nodded, glancing after his wife as she followed Mal out of the Bridge. “Huálì de nǚrén.” “I heard that, husband,” Zoë commented back with a smile as she went. “Ài de shǎguā.” “You two ever gonna move past that honeymoon phase? ‘Bout now’s the time a couple gets to be doin’ more bickerin’ than lovin’.” Mal chuckled, heading down the stairs that lead up to the bridge.  “I disagree, sir. We’re stronger than ever.” Coming down the steps and past the bunks Mal made to go to the cargo bay to prep the black-box for easy transport as Beaumonde wasn't too far off, but stopped short into the hall leading down when he heard an unusual voice that didn’t belong to any of his crew. Backstepping, pivoting, and poking his head properly into the galley instead of a quick lazy glance he’d passed over it before, he spotted the alien pony. He saw that Star was being viciously savaged by his mechanic. It was an absolute bloodbath of girly proportions. He couldn’t help but crack a grin, and saw Zoë couldn’t either out the corner of his eye. “Kaylee, might not wanna choke the poor critter,” he spoke to her, with her quickly looking up and beaming with a pleasantness only she could muster. “But Captain!” Kaylee stressed with a grin, hugging the pony tighter. “Twilight here spoke! An' Simon just said she can do magic!” Twilight smiled and looked Mal’s way in a certain manner, to which he knew that look of distress. It was one that said she didn’t have the heart to tell the happy woman hugging her that she couldn’t hug the pony anymore because said pony had a powerful need to breathe at some point this minute. “Alright, Kaylee, best put her down.” Mal ordered, scoffing at the scene. She pouted, but an order from her captain was ironclad. Twilight did her best to mask the massive breath she took in and recovered quite fast after she was released from Kaylee's loving grip, being gently placed down to her hooves as if she were made of porcelain. “Thank you,” Twilight nodded, to Mal for the rescue and Kaylee for releasing her. She looked up at Mal and smiled, bowing her head in greeting. “It is nice to meet you, Captain. That is a nice name.” Mal gave a brief chuckle at the misuse of English, and held his hand out, which Twilight happily rested her hoof into to receive a proper handshake in the new capacity of their understanding. “Little pony, captain is my position. Name’s Malcolm Reynolds,” he explained to her as she uttered a very soft ‘oh’, much to both Kaylee and Simon’s amusement. “And this here boat you’re sailin’ on is Serenity, welcome aboard.” “Boat... sailing, a ship?” Twilight asked, cocking her head. “That’s right. An’ a pretty spaceship at that, Kaylee will happily tell ya.”  Mal charmingly smiled, though it began to falter under seeing Twilight’s expression change to one of sudden worry and confusion. She let go of his hand and fell back to her haunches with a soft phwap and a mighty concerning look that said this was something she’d never done before. If not sailing on a ship... then maybe one in space? Just because the pony was alien didn't mean she came from a spacefaring civilisation, after all... He was about to call Simon over for some possible medical assistance just in case the girl fainted from shock, but within the split second of her features being all fearsome and scared they immediately shifted and rebounded into what seemed to be pure elation. “We are in space?!” Twilight beamed, jumping to her hooves with a start and bouncing on them slightly, almost as if they were made of rubber. “True space?!” She was going between terror and joy pretty darn quick in a way Mal figured probably wasn’t healthy, but she seemed to be handling that bit of news well enough and wasn’t a sobbing wreck about it so he wagered it was probably fine. “That’s right, we’re sailin’ through the black nice an’ steady,” Mal confirmed as she stopped bouncing for the time being. “We’re makin’ to go to Beaumonde, friendly sorta planet with a mostly approachable folk.” “Bow-mand? Bo-mond…” Twilight sounded the word out with an endearingly scrunched up face as she concentrated. “Beaumonde? That is... French for…” she paused a moment before smiling. “Beautiful World.” Simon nodded to the correct information. “You’ve done some research into other languages too, I see.” “A lot to learn,” Twilight replied, glancing around at him. Looking back at Mal she cleared her throat. “So… Beaumonde, what will you do, if you do not mind I ask?” Mal coughed slightly. “Well little pony-” “Twilight.” Kaylee interjected. “Twilight,” Mal gave the pony a nod, saying his next words with care. “We’re lookin’ to do some trading, more or less. As it happens you came about after we picked up our cargo.” “I think I can not join? I like to stretch my legs.” Twilight said, trotting to where Simon rested against the kitchenette counter, sitting back down on her haunches again. “Well, best not to,” Mal gestured a single shake of his head, folding his arms. “As is, we’re all still pretty much comin’ to terms that we aint alone in the ‘Verse. While you’re peaceable an’ aint reignin’ fire down on us like in the old holo-vids, others might not see ya that way.” Twilight understood. “People will try to hurt me.” “Not necessarily, don’t wanna spook ya into not meetin’ new folk. Just sayin’ them as such might not be as friendly as we’ve been. Jayne don’t count,” Mal deadpanned. “We walk off into port with you by our side, might be we get stopped an’ the feds get involved, or worse some Alliance Operative. Might be you just get a bunch of looks an’ people assume you’re one of those high-end newtech animatronics they got on Londinium, a few prods and pokes of curiosity ensue, an’ everyone goes on their merry.” He wasn't sure Twilight got most of that but she got the gist of it. “It is not safe.” “No it isn’t, little pony.” “So I stay here as you trade,” Twilight smiled. “Safe choice.” Mal returned her smile. “That’s the idea. I’m sure Kaylee an’ the Doctor can find all manner of fun to entussle you with.” “May I ask, Malcolm Reynolds?” “Beg your pardon?” “May I ask?” Twilight repeated. Mal looked slightly lost and confused until Simon spoke up. “She’s asking if she can ask you a question, Captain,” he chuckled towards Twilight who nodded enthusiastically. “Question, yes! It is right,” she beamed. “Oh, well, fire away little pony,” Mal gave her a wave. Twilight gave a small bow of her head and a gentle look, before her posture folded inward as she tried to find the words. “It is a close feel, so I know if not… I ask Simon to feel his mind to know more words, but it is nice as more people. Not hurt or bad, but I know it is rude to not ask. It is hard to say words well, it can allow me more words.” For a moment Mal raised an eyebrow as he compiled all of that. “You wanna read our minds to learn to talk better?” Mal asked, folding his arms. “Yes!” Twilight nodded with a smile. Jayne, who had just started walking back in, very quickly did a one-eighty and walked right back out, mumbling angrily about being in his bunk. Kaylee looked amazed while Zoë definitely didn't seem fond of the idea, uncomfortable as if there was a bad smell in the galley. She started to speak up before Mal raised a hand to stop her, as for the most part he was actually a little intrigued. So far, only he and Simon had seen Twilight do magic, and Kaylee apparently wasn't too put out at the idea. He wasn't sure how Zoë would react to it beyond her usual assessing demeanour at the unknown, though he knew she wasn't about to panic if she saw Twilight's horn glow. He'd probably be cautious about it if he'd had no warning, but so long as everyone was aware it would happen there likely wouldn't be any issues. “Doctor, I assume you went ahead an’ gave her a yes on doin’ it to yourself, being the curious sort,” Mal looked to Simon, who became more alert to all eyes now being on him. “She tell you what it entails?” “Not exactly, no,” Simon cautiously replied, looking at Twilight. “She did say it was non-invasive and wouldn’t hurt, and if I assume correctly it would be no different to how River sees into our minds daily and learns things about us just by intuition. Given what I've seen so far, I'd wager we likely wouldn't feel much of anything.” “She asks politely and doesn’t meddle where she shouldn’t.” All heads, Twilight’s included, pivoted towards the galley exit towards the engine room to see River gracefully stepping onto the threshold, barefoot as usual, without making a sound as she moved. “She controls what she wants to see, doesn’t see anything personal that isn’t shown.” River approached Twilight as she shifted gently to face her, her features scrunching for a brief moment in shock as River crouched down in front of her and laid a gentle hand on the back of her neck. Twilight soon relaxed and breathed out as she looked into the mysterious depths of the psychic girl's eyes. “You hurt,” Twilight whispered, her eyes beginning to well up. “So much hurt.” “Zhànzhēng yǐjīng jié shù, dàn xǔduō zhàndòu reng rán cún zài,” River stared back. “I'm sorry that I can’t control the flow.” “It is fine,” Twilight shook her head, blinking away the tears that came. “Thank you for a yes, River Tam. It will help," she took a moment to compose herself after another few seconds of looking intently at River, and she turned her attention back to the others. “Simon Tam is right. It will not hurt, it will not take long.” Mal regarded River for her choice words, but shrugged. “Nothin’ ya can’t see River already aint,” his eyes rested on River, then to Twilight. “It’s all shiny on my end, learn your English, might pick up some Mandarin too. It’ll be fun to hear a pony talkin’ it.” Kaylee perked up suddenly all chipper. “Like the Captain says, it’ll be shiny! An’ it’ll be good to help ya be able to talk all proper! Count me in.” Zoë rubbed her temples and looked unenthusiastic, sighting as she regarded Twilight. “Fine,” was all Zoë had to say, face hardening to stone and bracing as if she was about to be taken before a firing squad. “Don’t break anything in here.” “Well, that makes five of us." A few of them looked back to see Wash standing in the galley doorway. "Course is all set, Captain. We should be in Beaumonde in no less than half a day if we don't encounter any Alliance patrols. What's all this about reading minds?" "You really want in on this, husband?" Zoë wondered, an eyebrow shooting up. Wash smiled. "And leave you all to possibly end up comatose from weird freaky alien psychic voodoo? No it's fine I'll join in, it'll be fun." "It's a good thing Book an’ Inara aint about,” Mal chuckled. “Doubt she’d want to learn any of what they got anyway, religion or whorin'.” “Cap’n!” Kaylee hissed, lightly swatting his arm, making him chuckle more until he had to clutch the wound in his side. She glanced at Twilight with a reassuring smile, re-affirming her given consent, and gave a thumbs up. “Go on, Twilight.” A last quick look to Simon and Twilight nodded to herself, her face taking on a determined edge. Mal heard Kaylee make an odd noise as Twilight's horn started to shimmer a deep purple, her eyes slowly beginning to glow and illuminate until they were nothing but pure white.  Mal braced himself for some fun. *               *               * It was a horrendous battle. No… it was a war. Twilight walked through the sheer chaos that was being seen from Malcolm Reynolds eyes, the first mind she'd decided to jump into. As with all memories seen through a mind spell, it was slightly slower than it should have been. The sounds were slightly off, echoing as if everything was occurring inside a long tunnel.  Numerous young men and women were being brutally killed in ways she had never thought possible, by the very same sort of weapon the captain and ─as she now discovered─ his first mate Zoë Washburne carried on their hips. The word and understanding came to her almost as quickly as she’d asked the question of what they were in her mind. Firearms, and the bright shiny things that crawled past her vision were called bullets. They starkly contrasted with the gloomy night, lazily piercing themselves through people who fell into the mulched dirt where they stood, and into the sandbags Malcolm Reynolds and Zoë Washburne were crouched down behind for their protection. When the volley relented, both the captain and his first mate ─at this moment sergeant and corporal─ sluggishly stretched out from their positions and used the disturbing two-handed weapons they carried. The destructive box-like devices were called rifles, being too big to comfortably hold in a single hand without being unwieldy and inaccurate. The things' tips bloomed out light gradually like a flower opening itself to the sunlight, and more shining bullets issued forth in the direction of what she surmised was clearly their enemy. Alliance was the overwhelming word that came to her, the authority she'd seen on the datapad that had so many planets under their control. The pure look of anger and hatred was clear upon both the rebel soldiers' faces, the snarl of bloodlust, of the very need to survive against an overwhelming power greater than them. It was a terrifying sight to behold. She hadn’t entered into this memory by snooping, Malcolm Reynolds had very much wished to show it to her, but it was making her nauseous to see the violence and death that occurred. Twilight had never seen its like before. It didn't seem to end, the pockmarked and scorched earth that was still being ravaged by continuous explosions coming from seemingly nowhere but the sky, and the people being caught in their wake being reduced to a cascade of flying limbs and blood. In this distortion soon came the vibrating whine of a screeching angular warship that swooped overhead as it spat out beams of sickly green, tearing through these soldiers that fought in a war she was ignorant of beyond basic details that slowly came to her, all at a painfully calm pace that meant she saw every moment in complete clarity. “Enough!” Twilight choked out, the memory immediately dispersing.  She raised a hoof and wiped at her eyes, her face was sodden with tears. Taking a deep breath, she looked up and saw that she stood in an endless hazy void that contained what could have been billions of little glowing motes all separately suspended. They orbited around her in a swirl as she stood, moving just as slowly as the bullets in the memory had done. This was Malcolm Reynold’s mindscape, the mind of a human. Thankfully, it looked almost identical to any pony’s mind, if a tad more rugged looking with an alien feeling to it. There was no telling what she would see and glean from these memories, if the previously violent one was any indication. Usually she wouldn’t see into a memory unless the pony she connected with spoke to her through the link shared between their minds and specifically gave her permission to do so. Without magic, humans lacked that connection back to her, however it seemed that by thinking of certain memories and forcing them to the forefront of their minds, those were the first that could be pushed to her. That didn’t mean memories had to be pushed towards her for her to learn, with any memory all she had to do was touch her mind to the lights around her and feel their energy. Ponies ─or humans in this case─ never realised just how many words and mannerisms they used on a daily basis, and the gestures and expressions that were conveyed along with those words. The meanings behind them were all so vast that just touching upon a few of the lights would yield a considerable wealth of new information, and to do so would mean she'd know just as much as if she'd grown up in this universe. Steeling herself Twilight carefully approached a particularly bright orb and reached out, the soft flat of her hoof caressing its surface. There was a sensation of fear and trepidation that was slowly taken over by an icy cool calm as something built in the back of her own mind, until it burst in a flurry of new senses and understanding. So many unfamiliar and unique thoughts racing through her brain being stored in their own special places. Many were terrifying and wonderous, some were interesting and fun, others were so alien the very concept amused her, and some things she saw she couldn't help but wonder why ponies hadn’t created such things themselves even though they had magic. It was over just as fast as it had begun, though she felt invigorated with the comprehension of this new universe that it brought on, calmer away from the initial shock of violence. With a profoundly different outlook she eagerly trotted along to the next orb, to learn and grow, even if much of what she was learning was still tinted with a slight level of violence. It was all information at the end of the day, no knowledge was bad knowledge. Eventually when she felt she’d absorbed enough data, she moved on as carefully as she could, deftly jumping from Malcolm Reynolds mindscape into Zoë Washburne’s. It was much the same as the captain's had been, however whereas with Malcolm Reynolds she had felt an overbearing sense of interest to share certain information, the intimidating aura of unwillingness to share a great deal was the main feeling she got from this space. There would be no memories here, only a brief amount of info from the orbs that surrounded her. Malcolm Reynolds had been like a fierce and fair dragon of great power, a feeling that said he could do anything he put his mind to if wish to do so took hold. All he wanted was to soar free and not have his wings pinned, he would leave alone anyone that didn't get in the way of that. To interfere with him or harm anything he held dear to his heart was to wake a fury unlike any other. It was a fearsome anger that wouldn't abate until he had won the day or died trying, there was no middle ground and only a single absolute would be sanctioned. Zoë Washburne was quite in the same vein, being just as much a dragon as he was and as strong in her own right. The willingness she had to fight and suffer for those she loved was almost overpowering to the point of zealotry, though Twilight couldn't fault her when she felt the same about her own friends. It was so strong a feeling that Twilight clearly felt that connection between two others linked in Zoë's mind, and one of them was Malcolm Reynolds, the other being the strange blond haired man called Hoban Washburne she'd seen yesterday. Malcolm Reynolds had her deep care and high respect. Hoban Washburne however, had it and far more; her absolute profound love that nothing else could touch upon. She smiled, they were a happily married couple. It was lovely to see, but she knew she wasn’t as welcome here as she had been with the captain, so quickly and quietly she gained additional info from the lights. There was a lot that was the same as from Malcolm Reynolds, though there were other things unique to Zoë Washburne that were nice to have a greater sense of, different experiences from another walk of life. Before long she left, jumping to another mind. When she touched down it was warm and comforting, and a veritable trove of intelligence made its way to her so quickly being pushed in the hope that might help her that she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. This was the mind of Simon Tam, she’d briefly learned from River Tam’s mind that he was a doctor and had been a surgeon, she'd been doing her best not to overload Twilight so it had been a bit of a mess, though now she knew Simon had been one of the best surgeons, if not the best, on his planet. Simon Tam was more like a pony ─albeit a rather high-noble one─ than a dragon, he was no soldier of fate like Malcolm Reynolds or Zoë Washburne, but a proud man of his medical trade with a love for his sister and care for his friends, that even when the odds were against him could be relied upon to act even to his own detriment. There was a great conviction for the others on the ship, especially towards Kaywinnet Lee Frye ─quite a long name, she thought─ however Simon Tam’s truest bond was to his sister River Tam. A family bond that he would continuously suffer for to keep intact, and one he’d willingly sacrificed a great deal to keep going. There were a great many senses she felt through their link, his highly scientific mind was a joy to share things with. As with the two soldiers she’d delved into, she gave a sense of herself to Simon Tam too, so that he could understand who she was. She knew he comprehended just how deeply her beliefs went a lot more under the surface, something that most others would have to see in action to truly understand it themselves. Whereas the captain and first mate's minds had been fairly calloused and more wild in nature, Simon Tam’s head was hardened in a wholly different manner. It was smooth and sleek, sharply refined in a way that spoke of a carefully orchestrated upbringing by wealth, and yet despite that he felt like one of the most sensitive and non-egotistical minds she’d ever known. Truly, he was a good man. It made the next jump so much harder. River Tam was once utterly brilliant, somehow more so than her brother, and now the brilliance was smothered by erratic insanity and schizophrenia. She was not who she was meant to be, a smart and innocent girl had been turned into a powerful living weapon. Twilight stepped into River Tam's mind and immediately knew her broken nature, the disturbing psychosis and the creeping shadows that settled like an eerie fog and attached to all things within the space, permanently ingrained from extreme torture by incredibly evil people, people of the Alliance. The same authority that Malcolm Reynolds and Zoë Washburne had fought so hard to be free of, the one that controlled a majority of this solar system.  Simon Tam had rescued his sibling from a fate worse than death at their hands, and they both suffered for it even now as his good hearted intentions were facing insurmountable odds to fix River Tam’s mind. It was simply the case that sometimes things couldn’t be fixed and made perfect again. He would keep trying though, that was who he was. River Tam would keep trying to get better by herself, yet she too was going against the tidal wave that continuously crashed back down upon her. River Tam used to be pony-like, yet now she was something else entirely, twisted by the cruel hands of others into a terribly efficient tool to be used. She was more like a daemon, she could sense anything and feel everything, know the minds of others at will, twist their thoughts against them and break their spirit with ease. There was power in her to destroy and she occasionally had it under control, and even though there was the possibility she might accidentally hurt her friends there were no qualms she would unleash it against enemies that threatened her. In her own way she was not too dissimilar to the captain. Her mind didn't bear anything Twilight hadn’t seen from the others, beyond a few different perspectives of what was already known. River Tam was intentionally not showing certain parts of her memories however, likely as to not depress Twilight in regards to what she'd been subjected to. The sentiment was appreciated. She got the feeling that maybe she shouldn't trust the muscular man called Jayne Cobb too much, just in case. From what she'd learned from Malcolm Reynolds and now River Tam especially there was a rather unique understanding of the things he'd done. Twilight didn't think she would be in jeopardy with him, though that didn't mean she shouldn't be on her guard even as she tried to make friends with him. She would try until he stopped being so cold, as her impression was that he was simply slow to warm up to new people. She didn't have a true sense of him, not being in his mind, but unlike Malcolm Reynolds or Zoë Washburne, he was not a soldier of fate, but of fortune, a mercenary whose contract was held by Malcolm Reynolds himself, for now. Jayne Cobb was very much like a gryphon in that regard, which at least told her that when she earned his friendship and trust that it would be almost unbreakable. When she jumped into Hoban Washburne's mind, it was... interesting, and easing. He was a partly meek sort of man, extremely laid back about life, and very easy to take life as it came and went with the flow no matter where it seemed to lead. Very pony-like, she mused, being so able to adjust to situations on the fly. He was the most 'normal' to her that she'd felt so far. Under the surface as with the others there was conviction, a well of courage that was small but powerful and that could be delved into when the need arose. He liked everyone on the ship, respected Malcolm Reynolds, and even got along quite well with Jayne Cobb, but naturally Zoë Washburne being his wife meant that she had his undivided attention and of course his love. She had a feeling that his man would attempt to move mountains if she needed it.  The final jump was the most pleasant one, into a bubbly wild mindscape that exuded curiosity and hope. Kaywinnit Lee Frye’s head was positively saccharine next to all the others, far more like most ponies she knew. This was probably the most pony-like mind. Despite her outward appearance she was very quite girly, with a love of all things cute and small. She wasn’t a fighting sort, more gentle like a lamb, but a lamb still had a mean headbutt if angered. A woman of interesting trade in this universe, her business was the strange world of mechanics that ponies barely cared to venture into. She had a great love for her family back home, the crew, and for Simon Tam, and as Twilight had suspected from his mind that he hadn't shared too deeply and confirmed with hers; they were in a relationship. Again she lifted the information from the many orbs around her, learning a few new things along the way that might even come in use if she helped around the ship. When she was finally done, she projected herself outwards and stopped for a moment to take it all in and let her own mind process everything until it settled properly. It was alive with the flow of insight, the education she’d received was needing to be realised and would take a couple of days or longer to fully integrate. There was something else though, something that ate at the back of her mind about what she’d learned from every individual here, a deep fear of an entity that existed that was called a Reaver. She’d picked up on it, but beyond strong feelings of hatred, fear, and disgust, they’d all hidden whatever truths about them they had, and she wasn’t going to pry just yet; it would be something to ask about later. Trying to put those thoughts aside, she moved onto other ones for the time being. One thing she knew for certain was that this was a group of friends, a family of sorts. All of them were intertwined. Simon Tam’s slight fear and fair respect of Malcolm Reynolds as both an ally and an authority figure; Kaywinnit Lee Frye’s deep bond with everyone on the ship ─especially Inara Serra, though she wasn't currently on the ship─ that tended to spark almost instantly with strangers too; Malcolm Reynold’s own care to keep everyone together and keep them all a crew that could see his vision of freedom. All these thoughts and beliefs, ideals and dreams, it all reminded her of her own friends and family and how much she missed them already, knowing it might be a long time before she got to see them again. Twilight released herself from their minds and released her hold, returning to reality. Simon blinked, the feeling of a greatly powerful presence that had pressed down upon him having gone as soon as it had appeared. He looked at Twilight, whose eyes were quickly returning to their purple hue, as she looked around at everyone with a level of concern and inspection. From what he saw everyone else had just experienced what he did and were fine, so Twilight's magic hadn't done anything she said it wouldn't. “Did anything happen?” Kaylee wondered, looking at Twilight. “I’d certainly hope so!” Twilight smiled at her. “I hope you all aren’t feeling unwell after that.” “So it worked then. Speakin’ full on English now.” Mal nodded. “She sounds so fancy!” Kaylee gushed, beaming. “Like she was from the Core!” Twilight blushed a little at the comparison. “Well, back where I’m from, ponies felt I was quite upper-class to begin with. In a way I suppose it was true, and similar to the central planets.” “You got a basic idea of how the ‘Verse is, I assume.” Mal asked politely, resting back against the table behind him. “Anythin’ else you found in our minds that interests ya?” It was an obvious push, Twilight knew, one that Malcolm Reynolds was very much biassed in wanting to get into the open so he could draw the lines in the sand. He wanted her to show she understood their situation within the world, and show that she knew what her place was while on his ship. She had of course learned that the crew of Serenity were troublemakers to the Alliance, their political affiliations all more or less essentially were unresistant to or advocated for the removal or non-recognition of the Alliance's total authority, seeing it as illegitimate or too horrendous to allow to continue. She would of course indulge him, just as much for his sake as her own. “I do understand your position on the Core and those that rule it, Captain,” Twilight lightly ventured, thinking carefully on her wording, and being very sure to refer to him by his rank as was appropriate for his role. “I understand that you’re not exactly on the right side of what is considered the law in this universe either. While I do have my own feelings on obeying laws as a good pony should, after feeling what Simon Tam and River Tam pushed to me, what I saw from what you and Zoë Washburne have both experienced, I can’t willingly in good conscience say that what the Alliance do and the extreme measures they go to in order to keep people in line is acceptable,” Twilight shook her head in disgust. “On the contrary, it's horrendous. Our land back home is co-ruled by a Diarchy of two Princesses, if they sought to conquer the rest of the world like the Alliance have done they would be swiftly met with discontent from both the populous and numerous nations. Thankfully, despite their absolute power they would never go through with such actions, they would understand it wouldn’t be what we or the other people of those lands would want.” “Alliance didn’t feel the same.” Mal dryly replied. “I see that,” Twilight nodded, catching the clear tone. “This universe is very violent and unforgiving in comparison to my own.” “Must be a nice place, all sunshine and rainbows, tea parties an’ the like.” “Not exactly.” Twilight smiled, she did like tea parties with her friends. “But any troubles we face are always overcome as a whole, all peoples band together and solve the issue against common threats.” Kaylee perked up at that. “That sounds real wonderful, wish more folk would do that. Sure they do in their own communities an’ such, but it aint the same as havin’ all folk do it ‘cos it’s the right thing to do.” “Xiǎo mèi mèi here’s our beatin’ heart.” Mal smirked, shifting gently. “Glad to see you’re on our side, though.” Twilight didn’t comment on that last. Instead she looked to Simon. “Thank you for helping me propose the knowledge spell, that’s the correct term for it, although I got pretty close with ‘mind spell’,” they both shared a smile. “Interesting that I didn’t pick up on contracted words through the datapad, which again, thank you for lending it to me.” “That’s quite alright,” Simon nodded appreciatively. “You can borrow it whenever you’d like, however I will need it for use in my work for the time being.” “Anyway, this is all very friendly an’ how-to-do, but we got work to be done,” Mal clapped his hands lightly and looked towards Zoë as he pushed off from the table. “Zoë, with me. Rest of you, do whatever you were doin’ before I showed up,” he finished, throwing everyone else a careless look as he moved to exit. “Thank you as well, Captain,” Twilight said, stopping him momentarily. “Your hospitality towards me is very much appreciated, I hope to repay it somehow.” “You’ll regret saying that, little pony. Not a problem though, I get the feelin’ y’aint gonna be trouble on my boat.” Mal smirked with a good natured smile, gently waving her off.  “Not at all,” Twilight gave a quick bow of her head. “Your ship, your rules.” “I like her more already.” Mal commented with an amused look, turning away and leaving with Zoë smartly falling in line and following behind him. Twilight knew she didn’t really need to refer to him by his rank, as she now understood all of what had happened after she arrived on the ship. The mercenary known as Jayne Cobb always casually referred to Malcolm Reynolds by nickname, as did Inara Serra whenever she was present. Zoë Washburne clearly referred to him as ‘sir’ and his rank of captain diligently due to her unwavering loyalty as a soldier under his command during their Independence war. Everyone else simply called him by his rank out of either an understanding of his place on commanding the ship, or out of a level of respect and ‘the thing to do’, so she would do the same. “Kaywinnet Lee Frye,” Twilight addressed the mechanic, who rather visibly perked up in confusion at the usage of her full name. “If it’s not too much to ask, would you mind showing me how Serenity works? I don’t know if the Captain would be happy about it, but I’d be very eager to learn, that way I might be able to help fix things in return for the hospitality I've been shown." “Oh, Twilight darlin’, call me Kaylee,” she gently asked. “Generally everyone else does, an’ my daddy’s really the only one that calls me Kaywinnit. You also don’t gotta call folk by their full names ya know? Just their first names is fine-Oh! Except Wash, that's-" she gestured at Wash, who gave a wave. "An' Book, he prefers his last name, which… is Book, though he aint here right now but it'll be shiny when ya meet him!” Kaylee finished with a kind grin. Twilight probably should have picked up on that. “Alright then, Kaylee, Wash,” Twilight nodded at them both. “I just tend to call my close friends by a nickname instead of their full names, most others go by a full name so I just kind of carried that over.” “Oh, well don’t you worry, Twilight! We’re all gonna be real good friends in no time! I bet Jayne’ll warm to ya soon as sunshine once he stops bein’ such a grump!” Kaylee beamed, her happiness was almost infectious. “I wouldn’t count on that. It took him a very long time to accept River and Simon." Wash said cautiously, Simon agreeing with a nod. “Nooo, it's shiny!” Kaylee waved away his worry. “Even he’ll come to like Twilight, in his own odd way or… something.” Twilight smiled at her sheer optimism, it was one of the many things she’d felt from Kaylee's mind in droves. If everyone was as amicable towards her as Kaylee, Wash, Simon, and River were, and the Captain seemed to be, then Twilight would be making strong bonds and new friends in no time at all. “So, Twilight, ya wanted to see the engine room? Cap'n won’t mind none, especially if you really can help me fix things up!" Kaylee kept on. "I sure won't mind havin' some help." “That’d be lovely, thank you." Twilight nodded. River watched Twilight go, trotting along after Kaylee who was all too happy that the small purple pony was showing a genuine interest in Serenity, and Wash and Simon both went about their business. She had no doubt Twilight and the crew were going to be very close, and such bonds were going to be tantamount. There was still a lot Twilight didn’t know, and River didn’t really want her to be in the dark on it but she knew it would all be revealed in time. There were things Twilight had learned that River had given to her which she just hadn’t realised yet, questions would start to rise and need to be asked when such things came to her, she was like Simon in that regard. Kaylee might not want to share, and if the crew didn’t tell Twilight what she wanted to know, River would carefully inform her of everything as and when it needed to be told if it wasn't being realised. That was very important for all their sakes. River didn’t know exactly how she knew, but something massive was coming, something deeply dangerous, and Twilight was going to be the key in helping stop it. She thought it had been Twilight’s arrival, though now she knew Twilight Sparkle was the prelude to something larger, and had a very important role to play in whatever it was.